The Wilkes University wrestling team has been producing championships for many years and will look to do the same after a strong showing at the Monarch Invitational Tournament.

At the Monarch Invitational Tournament at King’s College, the fifth-ranked Colonels finished in second place as a team and with seven top-six finishers. For the Colonels, the three first place finishers were defending national champion Matthew Grossman at 133 pounds, senior 125 pounder Michael Fleck, and senior 184 pounder Kyle Diesel, who all went 4-0 to capture the titles in their respective weight classes.

Grossman secured a 5-3 victory in the championship round. Fleck earned his title with a 14-9 decision in the final, while Diesel won the title with a 6-0 victory, as well as three extra points on his way to the final.

There were two second place finishers for the Colonels: sophomore 149 pounder Josh Evans and super senior 197 pounder Nicholas Dawson. Junior 141 pounder Pankil Chander took third and junior 149 pounder Corey Fleming finished sixth after falling to teammate Evans in the semifinal by a score of 13-4.

A second place finish in the tournament with a total of 142 points validates the team’s number five ranking. The Colonels were able to make a big statement at the Monarch Invitational and will look to achieve an even more successful season than that of last year’s.

Last season, the Colonels finished with a 15-5 overall record, ending the season 11th overall in the national polls in division III.  The team will be led by key players like recent winners Diesel and Fleck in addition to Grossman, who became the 11th national champion in the wrestling program and became the first rookie to do so in the program’s 68-year storied history.

Wilkes will hold the next tournament at the Arnaud C. Marts Center for the annual John Reese Duals where they will take on York (PA), Stevens, and Rowan University in the three duals matches.

Some of the notable tournaments the Colonels will wrestle in, proving that they are one of the best teams in the nation, are the Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 29 as well as the annual Wilkes Open at the Marts Center.